1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to imaging devices and, more particularly, to an imaging device which is applied, for example, for a digital camera having a plurality of pixel signals outputted through thinning out from a CCD imager.
This invention is also concerned with a digital camera having such an imaging device.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Referring to FIG. 32, a conventional imaging device has had a CCD imager that is mounted, at its front, with a complementary color filter having color components Ye, Cy, Mg and G so that pixel signals containing all kinds of complementary color components can be read from pixel blocks each having 2 pixels×8 lines. That is, G and Mg pixel signals are read from a first line of each pixel block, while Ye and Cy pixel signals are from a sixth line. The pixel signals thus read are then subjected to an interpolation process. As a result, thinned-out image signals are created wherein each pixel has all the color components.
In the prior art, however, there has been a problem that each pixel block requires twice horizontal transfers, consuming a considerable time in outputting pixel signals. This problem becomes more prominent as the number of pixel signals read from each pixel block is increased in order to improve resolution of the images having been thinned out.